Japan Airlines (JAL) is set to apply riblet-shaped coating on its B787-9 aircraft bound for long-haul international flights.
Along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), industrial paint company O-Well, and Nikon, JAL has been conducting flight tests for the world’s first riblet-shape applied over exterior paint since 2022.
Riblets are fine groove structures inspired by the shape of shark skin which reduce water resistance.
JAL said that the riblet coating test is one of the efforts it is promoting to contribute toward the decarbonization of the aircraft industry.
According to JAL, testing showed that drag reduction rate during cruising is 0.24%, which is expected to result in an annual reduction of approximately 119 tons of fuel consumption and about 381 tons of CO2 emissions. The airline claims this is equivalent to the annual CO2 absorption of approximately 27,000 cedar trees.
Moving forward, JAL, along with JAXA and O-Well, will continue to work together to promote decarbonization through riblet coating by validating the durability, aesthetics and fuel efficiency effects of large-scale riblet coating on long haul international flights, as well as expanding the scope of application.
